Behind the Scenes at the World – Making Of The AQHA World Show
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70 – November/December, 2016
By: Megan Arszman
More than 2,180 horses, 4,762 entries, and nine countries will be represented. When it comes to hosting the largest breed World Championship in the United States, the largest breed registration organization in the world knows that preparation is the key to having a successful show.
Working A Year Ahead
Planning for the 2016 Lucas Oil AQHA World Championship Show started during the 2015 show season. According to AQHA’s Publicity and Special Events Liaison, Sarah Davisson, officials are always looking ahead and planning. Every detail of the show is dissected and analyzed to see what worked and what could be made better for exhibitors and spectators. For example, the show schedule is always a hotly contested item of the show, and it’s not one that’s taken lightly.
“A lot of time and effort is put into making the schedule,” Davisson says. “It’s important to the AQHA to listen to the input of the association’s exhibitors, trainers, and owners. We know that AQHA members are putting in time and resources all year long to qualify for one of the most prestigious horse shows in the world, and the association is committed to meeting the needs of its valued members with an exhibitor-friendly schedule.”
To do so, the AQHA Show Department sent out a survey to ask exhibitors their opinions of the event. The results of this survey are then taken into consideration with officials to put together a schedule. That schedule is approved by the Show Committee and then refined by the AQHA Show Council, which is comprised of exhibitors (both trainers and exhibitors), owners, breeders, AQHA alliance representatives, and ground-preparation specialists.
The list of items the Show Planning Committee must consider is mind boggling: set-up, staffing needs, entries, stall assignments, trade show vendors, special events, the World Show Sale… It’s a world-class event that must appeal to all the senses for horse enthusiasts of all ages
and backgrounds.
70 – November/December, 2016
